Cybersecurity Marketers Speak: Winning Tactics for Lead Generation Programs

The cybersecurity buyer's journey? Tougher than ever and under a magnifying glass. With tighter budgets and rising expectations, lead generation isn’t just about stuffing the funnel anymore. It’s about the real pipeline impact. That’s what we got into during our latest Cybersecurity Marketing Society webinar: a no-fluff panel featuring some of the best in the business.

Featuring:

• Frances Lorenzo, Director of Campaigns Marketing at eSentire
• Sabrina Ganglani, Senior Field Marketing Manager at HackerOne
• Casey Gobeil, Senior Director of Integrated Marketing at IANS
• Hosted by Steve Piper, CEO at CyberEdge Group

The session covered what’s working in lead gen, what’s not, and how cybersecurity marketers adjust their playbooks in real time. There was no theory, just tested tactics.

ABM Is Here (But It’s Not What You Think)

Account-based marketing (ABM) isn’t new, but the way top marketers use it is evolving. For Frances Lorenzo, Director of Campaigns Marketing at eSentire, ABM has shifted to ABX, which is Account-Based Experience. 

"The ownership shouldn’t just be on marketing," Frances said. Instead, her team partners with sales and customer success to deliver personalized experiences across the customer journey, not just at the top of the funnel.

At HackerOne, Sabrina Ganglani uses intent data from 6sense to create keyword-based target lists for more tailored outreach. Rather than guessing who might be a good fit, she zeroes in on who’s researching topics like pen testing. Those lists then drive personalized email, content syndication, and display ad programs.

Meanwhile, Casey Gobeil at IANS focuses on industry-based ABM. "Your cybersecurity priorities in healthcare look nothing like those in financial services," she said. Her team tailors campaigns not only by industry, but also by buying stage and persona.

Key takeaway: ABM isn't just about marketing better. It's about aligning your entire revenue engine to prioritize relevance, timing, and trust. The best teams don’t just have a target account list; they know what matters to those accounts right now.

Content Syndication: Burned Before, Smarter Now

Content syndication has a reputation problem and for good reason. Many marketers have been burned by low-quality leads, inflated results, or one-touch programs that dump cold names into their CRM.

But the panelists agree: when done right, syndication still works. The difference? Double-touch campaigns, layered with intent signals and filtered through a tight ICP.

Frances emphasized that her team now vets every vendor for quality and alignment before signing on. "We give them our ICP. We ask about business email only. Then we test. If the audience doesn’t match, we walk."

Sabrina's team has succeeded by pairing intent-qualified account lists from 6sense with double-touch syndication plays. "We’re targeting people already showing signs of interest," she explained. "The second touch makes it easier for sales to follow up without starting cold."

Casey firmly states: “IANS no longer offers single-touch syndication, which is not worth our time. Even with double-touch, we bake in our nurture stream before sales touch them. We know it takes time to warm these leads up."

Key takeaway: Syndication isn’t dead; lazy syndication is. Marketers are getting sharper about targeting, qualifying, and nurturing long before they hit a sales queue. And they’re setting clear expectations with vendors: quality over quantity or nothing.

Webinars: Reuse, Replay, Repeat

Webinars remain among the most effective ways to generate leads, especially on your terms. All three panelists use a mix of in-house and outsourced webinars to reach different goals.

Casey Gobeil shared how IANS maximizes content ROI by repurposing webinars. "We’ll run a live version for our audience and then sponsor a replay with a vendor like CyberEdge. Same topic, different crowd. Double the impact, same effort."

Sabrina uses outsourced replays to reach new audiences she can’t tap internally. Her recent HackerOne replay with CyberEdge even turned into two opportunities within weeks. For her, that kind of ROI justifies the spend.

Frances emphasized the importance of seasonality and timing. "If we have a budget, we’ll run live outsourced webinars. If not, we go in-house and make it scrappy. Either way, we promote hard and align topics with current campaigns."

Key takeaway: A well-run webinar isn’t just a lead-gen event; it’s a reusable asset. Replay strategies are letting marketers extend their reach without doubling their workload.

Economic Pressure = Sharper Strategy

Tight budgets are forcing marketers to get focused. Rather than testing new ideas to check a box, these teams are leaning hard into what already works.

"We’re not experimenting much right now," said Casey. "We’re putting budget behind proven channels and pulling back on fluff."

Frances agreed. Her team now spends where they see the strongest close rates: industries where they have the foundationto win. That means fewer general campaigns and more specialized vertical plays.

Sabrina added that they’re also thinking about content reuse and sales enablement. "We’re building fewer assets but making every piece serve multiple channels."

Key takeaway: Economic uncertainty isn’t slowing these teams down. It’s making them more selective, accountable, and aligned on what drives the pipeline.

Real Talk: What They Wish They Knew Sooner

Every panelist wrapped with a moment of reflection: What do you wish you knew when you started marketing in cybersecurity?

Frances didn’t hesitate. "Don’t assume your SDRs know how to follow up. Train them, enable them, and check the handoff."

Coming from an HR tech background, Sabrina said the CISO persona is a whole new level of tough. "They’re skeptical. They’re guarded. You have to be direct and credible from the jump."

And Casey offered this advice: ditch the marketing speak. "CISOs don’t want buzzwords. They want to know what problem you solve, why it matters, and why now."

Key takeaway: Cybersecurity buyers demand substance. The faster you can align your messaging with their pain points and enable sales to carry that story, the better your programs will perform.

Final Thoughts

This webinar wasn’t a theoretical chat about lead generation. It was a real-world gut check on what high-performing cybersecurity marketing teams are doing to hit pipeline goals.

✅ ABM isn’t dead; it’s evolving.
✅ Content syndication still works (if you do it right).
✅ Webinars are gold when you repurpose smartly.
✅ And no one has time for fluff.

Did you miss this session? Watch the replay here. For more of this kind of no-BS insight, join us at CyberMarketingCon in Austin, December 7–10. Sign up today ➡️Let’s Go!

Because no one gets what you do like other cybersecurity marketers.